Lifespan
by breakaway-republic
Summary: Aisha Clan Clan of the Immortal C'tarl C'tarl had never considered that she might outlive her favorite Terran. Now she faces that possibility when a pursuit for a bounty goes awry.
1. Before His Time

_Disclaimer: I don't own Outlaw Star- I never said I did. Completely random and unrelated thought, but wouldn't it be great if there was somebody out there who was willing to create a doujinshi based on some of my fics? Or the fics in my "Favorites" list? Random thought._

  


Many things seem like good ideas without the benefit of hindsight. The price on this particular bounty Gene took an interest in was pretty high and it wasn't because this man was a habitual jay-walker. His name was Xin Chu, a one-time member of the Kei pirate guild. In addition to being a behemoth of a man, this bounty in particular was an accomplished practitioner of Tao-spells. For whatever reason, he broke away from the Kei pirates and attempted to start up his own rival pirate guild. It never really amounted to much more than Tong group specializing in extortion and whose members were either killed off or imprisoned in a few month's time. However, the fact that Xin Chu was still alive after directly challenging the Kei pirates was something of an accomplishment unto itself. Which was what led him, along with his young partner Jim Hawking, the demure assassin known as Twilight Suzuka and former Ambassador Plenipotentiary Aisha Clan Clan of the Ctarl Ctarl Empire to Xin Chu's last reported whereabouts- a spaceship salvage yard on the desolate planet Morenci-9- in the middle of the night. To Gene Starwind, the six-figure bounty was too good to pass up. Aisha Clan Clan and Twilight Suzuka seemed to relish the thrill of the hunt instead, honing their skills as a beast of prey and assassin respectively. However, given the hazardous and generally seedy nature of the bounty's last confirmed locations, Gene insisted Mel remain on the Outlaw Star. 

  


Jim had cautiously scaled one of the considerably high stacks of gutted spaceships for a better vantage point as the others began cautiously searching the scrapyard. The boy genius was quietly relaying thermal readouts from his lofty vantage point to Gene and the others via radio. At almost the same instant the boy's night-vision optics picked up an unfamiliar heat signature above the trio of Outlaws, Aisha's ears picked up some sort of movement. A rather sizeable but detached grappler arm was suddenly closing in on her and Suzuka from above. Without a word and an almost inhuman speed, Suzuka leapt and cleanly sheared the falling grappler arm in two with her boukuto. Gene hurriedly rolled out of the way as one half of the arm as it crashed into the ground, while Aisha almost casually knocked the other half of the severed grappler arm into the pile of debris she heard the noise coming from. A tall figure easily evaded the metallic debris Aisha flung at him. It had to be Xin Chu- none of his lackeys were as quick as this man. As Suzuka and Aisha's focus was on their quarry, the Ctarl Ctarl became aware of heavy metallic scraping noise adjacent to them. Neither she nor the assassin noticed the falling pile of heavy scrap metal until it was nearly on top of them, set in motion by the severed grappler arm Aisha had tossed in there. The two of them disappeared under landslide of rusted steel. 

Gene Starwind also saw the events unfolding and realized that it was just himself and Xin Chu for the time being.

"Aisha! Suzuka!" he heard Jim yell out as he saw the pile collapse on top of the two of them. However, the boy didn't despair too much- It would take a lot more than what Xin Chu was throwing at them to take down Aisha Clan Clan and Twilight Suzuka. "Gene- what do you have for the Caster?" he asked over the radio.

"Two #17s, two #3s and a #11." his partner replied.

  


"Start off with the #11. If he's still kicking after that, give him a taste of the #3s."

"Shit! Why can't I use the #3s first?" He grumbled as he slipped the #11 into the breech and lined up the eerily still pirate in his sights.

"They're the most expensive!" the boy reminded Gene. 

  


"EAT THIS!" Gene yelled as he pulled the trigger of his Caster. The rivets along the barrel began glowing and then rotating- the furthest ones out clockwise and the next one in counter-clockwise. The red-haired outlaw braced himself for the familiar and satisfying recoil as the #11 shell streaked out of the muzzle. Except it never happened. Only a small amount of smoke drifted lazily from the business end of the caster. The shell was a dud.   


"That wasn't very smart." the pirate growled. He bowed his head slightly, closed his eyes and started chanting. His right hand was held vertically in front of his face, while his left was out to his side with each finger curled. A bluish light was glowing in the palm of his hand. Each of the Outlaws knew what the pirate was doing, they were simply wondering exactly what form the counterattack would take. Charging him could actually make them more vulnerable. Gene was desperately trying to pull the breech of the Caster open, but it was jammed with the dud round.

The luminous blue sphere was now about the size of a basketball and hoovering above the pirate's open palm. Gene dropped the Caster and had managed to pull the double-barreled shotgun from his overcoat when he reached for something on his wrist. As he did so, the blue ball of electricity broke into dozens of smaller spheres and flew at the red-haired outlaw in all sorts blindingly quick arc-like trajectories, each one resulting in a deafening explosion around the outlaw. Gene Starwind was lost in the smoke and dust from the series of explosions, and Jim Hawking had assumed the worst. 

  


"NO! ANIKI!" Jim yelled out. Instead of watching events unfolding from afar, Jim decided to directly participate. The boy was now sliding down the pile of grappler ship parts that had served as his observation post. This was done with surprising poise and control on Jim's part, due to the urgent situation at hand. In his haste, Jim had failed to notice the shimmering white light from Gene's light shield. He had managed to activate it in time to save himself and, for the time-being, was okay. As he stumbled off the pile, Gene noticed that the boy was carrying a pistol in his hand. Before the outlaw could say anything, Jim placed himself between Gene and the pirate. Already, the boy had distracted the pirate enough to prevent him from delivering the killing blow to Gene. However, even if Gene was confident that conventional ballistic munitions could affect Xin Chu, Jim was standing directly in his line of fire.

  


"Jim! Get out of here........." Gene urged the boy. However, he wasn't listening. The tow-headed genius' attention was focused on the pirate in front of him.

"Very good. Now what, kid?" Xin Chu asked Jim. "Are you going to shoot me?"

"If I have to." the boy-genius said unflinchingly.

This elicited a chuckle from the outlaws' adversary. He looked down at the boy and said "Looks like you'll have to."

Suddenly, the pirate shook his right hand as though it was damp he was attempting to shake it dry. The last thing Jim saw before everything went dark was the pirate's hand glowing the same shade of blue as the ball of lightning that split apart and attacked Gene. However, Jim didn't have the benefit of a light-shield. There was a series of explosions around him and the boy's light frame was airborne for about 20 feet before the hull of a derelict and stripped spaceship none-too-gently stopped his flight. Gene's heart sank upon seeing Jim's body crumple to the ground. He was perfectly still.

  


Before the fighting could resume, both Gene and his adversary noticed somebody quickly making their way to where the boy had fallen. It was Aisha Clan Clan. Both she and Suzuka had made their way out from the collapsed pile of spaceship parts in time to watch Xin Chu's attack on the pre-teen boy.

The platinum-haired Ctarl Ctarl hoped that her eyes were deceiving her or the injuries to Jim weren't as bad as she had feared. However, upon closer examination, Aisha knew she was wrong. For one moment, Jim actually looked perfectly peaceful until he struggled to move. The Ctarl Ctarl's nose could pick up a faint scent in the air- Jim's blood. It physically hurt the Ctarl Ctarl to see her young friend like this. The sight of young James Hawking crumpled on the ground, writhing in agony and bleeding from his nose and scalp was akin to ripping out both of Aisha Clan Clan's hearts from her chest.

"Jim? Oh no.......Jim....." Aisha said. It felt as though the breath had been sucked out of her. "Hey... Come on. Wake up, will ya?" she was gently cradling the boy in her arms. She could feel that he was struggling to breathe. 

  


"Aisha. Is that you...?" he softly gasped. His small hand reached up and gently brushed past her ear before resting on her cheek. "I blew it........didn't I?"

"Shhhhh. Don't talk like that Jimmy. You'll be OK......just save your breath. Can you do that for me?" Aisha asked him in the most reassuring tone she could muster while she gently embraced the boy and rocked him back and forth.

"I'm sorry......It hurts.....Aisha. I can't see." Jim said, his azure eyes staring blankly past Aisha and at nothing in particular. The boisterous Ctarl Ctarl was at a loss for words as her young friend lay blind and dying in her arms. 

"It's so dark.....I can't......". With those words, he fell silent. His labored breathing hitched and stopped as his hand fell away from her face.

Aisha was in denial as she absently stroked Jim's hair, still cradling his broken and battered frame. She wasn't prepared for this. He can't be dead, there was just no way. It seemed like they had just met- he still had so much living to do, and she was supposed to be the one who was going to see to it that he didn't let a moment slip by. This wasn't supposed to happen. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Aisha was admonishing herself for getting so attached to such a fragile thing as a Terran boy. But he was so much more than a boy to her- he was her adoptive little brother, her best friend ever, a friendly face in a vast universe that had proven to be so very hostile and uncaring, a voice of reason when it was really important and possibly more. She wasn't sure how or why, but all she could remember was that she and Jim became fast friends shortly after her expulsion from the Empire. There was no ulterior motives behind his actions. All he asked for was a friend and somebody who would be there for him to offer words of encouragement when it was important, and Aisha had obliged.

"Jimmy....don't leave us......" she murmured despairingly, aware that she was too late.

The Ctarl Ctarl was overcome by a profound and unfamiliar sense of sorrow as a single tear welled up in her eye- she now realized that she never told him how much he meant to her when she had the chance. Now his promising future had been forever taken away from him. Somebody like him wasn't supposed to die a painful, senseless, lonely death on some shithole planet.

Aisha Clan Clan gently set the boy's body down, still in disbelief. The hard-working and good-natured boy who was kind enough to share his place in the sun with her now lay lifeless in front of Aisha. Out of desperation, she softly ruffled his hair- almost hoping that he'd try to pull away and yell out "Quit it!". Instead, Jim remained motionless- even after a lone teardrop fell on his forehead. Aisha barely noticed as a shadow was cast over the two of them. It was Xin Chu.

_**Author's Note: OK- Some of you might be asking "Why the hell haven't you updated 'Out of the Ashes' yet?". And with good reason.....I mean, shit, it's been almost 10 months or something like that. The best answer I can come up with at the moment is "I dunno" *shrug*. But that's not to say I haven't been working on it at all. Far from it- the next chapter is pretty much finished, but there's still some editing that needs to take place. I can't give you a concrete date on when I'll update it, but for those of you interested, I haven't abandoned my work on 'Out of the Ashes'. As for this fic, much of it was lifted from an earlier work of mine that I wasn't really satisfied with, save for one rather angst-ey part. If you've read this far, I'd like to thank you in advance for your patience!** _


	2. Bloody Retribution

_AN: And here I was thinkin' that nobody read Outlaw Star fanfiction anymore. Thanks to those of you who have left a review. As some of you already know, reviews are important. If you like this fic so far, let me know by leaving a review. If you think that all I've managed to put together was a piece of fecal matter on a stick, well........*sigh* I guess you could let me know. Be gentle, though......_

  


In some ways, Jim looked perfectly serene. Both arms were splayed out to his side; his eyes closed, head gently cocked to one side and his mouth slightly agape. If it wasn't for the thin trails of blood that made their way out of his nostril and scalp across his face, he'd have the appearance of somebody who was simply taking a nap. Yet Aisha was well aware of the blood, and The Creators only knew how many internal injuries the boy had suffered. What was perhaps most disturbing to Aisha was that Jim's PDA was on the ground with the screen cracked a few feet away from them. If Jim were alive and well, she knew the boy would be doting over his busted digital assistant and griping about the cost of a replacement. But some things could never be replaced....

  


Aisha gently laid her right palm across Jim's forehead and began whispering a sincere and heartfelt prayer in the High C'tarl dialect so that the boy's soul would safely arrive into the afterlife. She followed that up with an oath that wasn't found in any passage from the Ancient Texts of C'tarl.

  


"May you find serenity in the next world, Jim. I'm so sorry that I failed to protect you. I can only promise that you will be avenged _very_ soon" the boisterous cat-girl solemnly whispered. Vengeance wouldn't bring her young friend back, but it was all she could do at this point. 

  


"So young- what a pity...." the tall pirate said to Aisha in a mocking tone as he almost casually sauntered up to the Ctarl Ctarl. Aisha was still kneeling over the Jim's broken, lifeless body. "Are you his pet or something?"

**

Gene and Suzuka were watching events unfold from a distance. They were able to pick up some conversation between Jim and Aisha, but they didn't know exactly what was being said from their position. Xin Chu also blocked their view, as he turned away from the red-haired Outlaw and Twilight Suzuka to confront the beast-girl and the boy- if he was still alive. It didn't look good. Gene knew his young partner was a tough kid- he had to be to last so long in this line of work- but that attack wasn't something Jim couldn't just walk away from.

  


The red-haired outlaw had discarded his shotgun- which had been damaged in the tall pirate's initial attack- and Caster for one of his daggers and was ready to charge Xin Chu when he felt a slender arm across his chest. It was Suzuka- she hadn't taken her eyes off of where Jim lay, yet she reached out to block Gene's forward progress.

  


"I know what you're considering, Gene, but that may do more harm than good." she cautioned.

  


**  
It took Aisha a moment to acknowledge Xin Chu's presence. Her best friend had just died a lingering death in her arms, and somebody had to pay. Aisha was in no mood for words of any kind. Upon hearing the pirate's goading, she found herself brought back to her present reality and in the mood for swift, bloody retribution. She said nothing and simply clenched her fangs as her feral, beast self- the one she held in check for the benefit of the Terrans she traveled with- began to take over completely. The fabric on her uniform began to stretch and tear as her muscles started to flex.

"All I hear are the words of a dead man." Aisha almost whispered.

  


Xin Chu could've benefitted from some hindsight himself. An imposing figure such as himself was used to his victims either attempting to flee or cowering in terror. However, had Xin Chu known the kind of vengeful fury he would be facing in Aisha Clan Clan, he would've either fled or began conjuring up a potent Tao-spell. Instead of continuing his assault on the Outlaws who had clearly misjudged him, he chose to gloat over killing a young boy. He was simply glad that he had reduced the number of his attackers. However, if he thought taking out Jim would break the others' will to fight, he was mistaken. Gene was more than willing to avenge his partner's untimely demise, and after what happened to her family at the hands of the Kei pirates, Twilight Suzuka wouldn't hesitate to send another one of the child-murdering bastards to Hell. Based on her reaction to the injuries Jim sustained, the pirate also greatly underestimated Aisha's formidable ability as a warrior. He mistook Aisha's concern for Jim as a sign of physical weakness. This ill-advised conclusion of Xin Chu's was based more on Aisha's gender than her species. For Xin Chu, that flawed analysis would prove _*VERY* _costly.

  


Aisha's uniform practically exploded and the big pirate found himself facing a growling white tiger nearly twice the size of the petite cat-girl he was standing over a moment ago. It was likely she could've defeated Xin Chu in her semi-normal state, but Aisha saw absolutely no reason to hold back now. The provoked Ctarl Ctarl was in her beast form and ready to let the Terran pirate in front of her taste every ounce of her revenge.

"No! This can't be....." Xin Chu said as he began cautiously backing away from Aisha and Jim. He thought that the metamorphic abilities of the Ctarl Ctarl was a fairly tale mothers told their children if they weren't behaving- a sort of boogeyman. Even if it were true, there was always a way to kill them, he thought. Now he feared that the beast staring him down would come up with a thousand ways to kill him before he could think of anything to harm her.

  


The Aisha-tigress was expecting the behemoth of a pirate to continue his attack, but went after him the instant she sensed that he was now on the defensive. The pirate tried casting a spell. Ball lightning once again flew from each of his fingertips as the tigress closed in on him. Since she was so close, there was no missing for him. However, since Xin Chu had no time to properly recite the incantation the blue spheres lost much of their power and appeared to do little more than singe Aisha's white fur as they impacted and exploded. Unfazed, the beast-girl continued charging through the clouds of smoke at the retreating pirate and leapt up. On her hind-legs, Aisha in her beast form was roughly the same height as Xin Chu. He decided that if he was going down, he would go down swinging. With an unusual speed considering his size, Xin Chu was able to land three blows along the tigress' face and head in one second. Aisha hardly flinched and countered the tall pirate's blows to her head by slashing across his abdomen, nearly disemboweling him with the first swipe. He fell down, with the tigress on top of him. Aisha delivered another slash to the pirate's head before using the rest of him as a horizontal scratching post. Xin Chu's last moments were filled with an intense, white-hot agony as he could only scream out in pain and helplessly flail his arms at the Ctarl Ctarl tigress who was ripping him apart with her claws.

  


The Aisha-beast wasn't satisfied until hardly anything of Xin Chu remained . Roughly 3/4 of his head was intact and connected to what used to be the rest of him only by a single tendon. The former pirate looked as though he had literally been run through a shredder. The numerous widows and orphans of Xin Chu's victims could argue that it couldn't happen to a nicer person had they been there to witness his fate.

  


On the other hand, Suzuka looked concerned after witnessing the events unfolding. She knew that Ctarl Ctarl in it's beast form was the perfect killing machine- at times, so perfect that they couldn't distinguish friend from foe.

"Gene! Aisha may not be able to recognize us in her feral state. Get Jim out of here as quickly as you can." Suzuka cautioned.

The red-haired outlaw began to cautiously make his way to where Jim was laying, but stopped about halfway. He turned to Suzuka and asked "Can you think of anything that could stun her or slow her down if she goes after one of us?"

"Nothing at all."

Instead of attacking them, the Aisha-beast simply staggered away from the remains of the pirate. She appeared to be in pain, and it appeared that Xin Chu's Tao-spells or blows did more damage than either Gene or Suzuka initially thought. The tigress made her way to where Jim had fallen and began gently nuzzling him as though she was trying to gingerly wake him up. However, he still remained motionless. Understandably, Gene and the dark-haired assassin wouldn't have been so nervous if they hadn't seen for themselves what the beast-girl did to Xin Chu. She could've developed a taste for human blood all of a sudden. Suzuka held her bokken in an offensive stance, hoping that the beast wouldn't turn on them.

  


"I hope you can still recognize us, Aisha." she said quietly.

Rather than acknowledging Suzuka or Gene's presence, the tigress walked away from where Jim lay. Even in her beast form, Aisha's actions seemed motivated by sorrow. The two outlaws watched as she staggered behind a pile of old engine casings and disappeared from their sight. A few seconds later, the night air was filled with a loud roar that gradually changed into a mournful howling.

Gene and Suzuka made their way to where they saw the tigress stagger away. The beast was gone, replaced with the platinum-haired feline humanoid they were familiar with, now laying face down on the ground. Save for the bell and green scarf, Aisha was naked. 

  


In her semi-conscious state, Aisha was aware of footfalls approaching. She figured it was

probably Gene and Suzu. Both of her hands and arms were covered in blood that had an unfamiliar scent. She was hoping it was the pirate's, since she had hardly any memory of her actions while in her feral state. The last thing Aisha remembered was holding onto Jimmy. He had stopped breathing. Or was it a bad dream? Her mind was still drifting in the twilight between her normal, biped form and her feral state. As she began to fade, she could've sworn she heard Gene yelling out frantically.

"There's still a pulse!"

**_They couldn't be talking about me_** Aisha thought to herself. The voices became even more distant as the blackness slipped over her. Before she faded completely, Aisha thought she heard Suzuka giving Gene instructions.

"Get him back to the ship, _now_. I'll stay behind and help her."

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't follow the conversation anymore. Aisha had completely blacked out.

  
  



	3. Stream of Consciousness

_ Serenity. That was the only word she could use to describe how it felt. In the very back of her mind, she was cognizant of some of the events that had just unfolded. They driftied in and out of her stream and consciousness and did indeed trouble her. Yet if felt like she was wrapped up tightly in a thick cotton blanket. So warm and serene._

  


_ Aisha wiggled her fingers and her toes, still unable to discern if this was a dream or reality. Flexing her digits didn't do much to solve that particular enigma, but the energetic Ctarl Ctarl detested inertia. Sitting perfectly still never suited her. Colors and shapes began to better define themselves in her field of vision. She looked around her and took in her surroundings. Clad in her Academy uniform, Aisha realized she was lounging on the sturdy limb of one of the Keeuor trees on her family's estate. As she inhaled, she could smell the sweet blossoms of the tree's fruit in bloom. She was surrounded by thousands of brilliant lime-green petals from the blossoms, although it would be quite awhile before the fruit itself would ripen and be harvested. In her hands was a snapshot of her close friend. He was holding onto a wrench in one hand and his face was streaked with grease and motor oil. It was a good picture of him, but Aisha was filled with a sense of loss upon seeing the image. She didn't remember in any great detail his ill-fated encounter with Xin Chu, just that something terrible had happened to the boy despite her efforts to keep him out of harm's way. Even in this idyllic setting, she feared the worst for him._

  


_ "Oh Jimmy...." she said with tears starting to fill her eyes. "I thought that I did all I could to protect you, but it still wasn't good enough...."._

  


_ Before her eyes, the picture she was holding onto turned into dust and scattered in the wind. _

  


_ "NO!" she gasped in shock "this can't be happening". Jim was gone and now she was being denied even a small memento of her young friend. It just wasn't fair. The proud, arrogant creature found herself up against powers that she couldn't control....._

  


_ "Penny for your thoughts." a familiar voice spoke up from some distance beneath her._

  


_ Aisha looked down and saw Jim, clad in his usual ensemble of cargo pants and grey jacket standing at the base of the tree she had made herself comfortable in._

  


_ "JIM?!"_

  


_ The Ctarl Ctarl hastily jumped out of the tree and made a near perfect landing in front of him after falling from a height of about 20 feet._

  


_ For a moment, they stood there in an awkward silence. Jim was apparently caught off-guard by the cat-girl's enthusiastic welcome. He nervously began rubbing the back of his neck before he chuckled and spoke up again._

  


_ "I'd have to give that landing a perfect 10, but only a 9.2 from the Corbonite judge....." he began saying before the Ctarl Ctarl threw her arms around the boy and began tightly squeezing him._

  


_ "It really is you, isn't it?". Her voice was beginning to waver when she asked that._

  


_ "I'm......glad....to.....see....you.....too." Jim wheezed breathlessly._

  


_ Aisha suddenly realized she was applying way too much pressure and released Jim from her tight embrace._

  


_ "You oughta be ashamed of yourself, making me worry like that!" she scolded him as she gently tousled his hair. "I thought I lost you forever". Her generally happy-go-lucky demeanor changed noticeably when she said that._

  


_ "What is this place?" he asked her._

  


_ "It's a grove on my family's estate." Aisha explained, although she had no idea how either she or Jim had arrived here. "At least I think it's where we are....Do you want me to show you around?" she offered the boy._

  


_ "Sure!" he eagerly nodded. With hardly any warning, Aisha grabbed him by the hand and the two of them almost sprinted to the tallest tree in the grove. She effortlessly lifted him up so that his arms were wrapped around her shoulders and he was riding piggyback._

  


_ "Hang on tight" she smiled. "I wouldn't want to lose you."_

  


_ With those words, she began effortlessly scaling the tree. She used her claws for the first few meters before she began climbing from limb to limb. Even with Jim clinging onto her back, Aisha's speed and dexterity was impressive. His presence hardly slowed her down. Curious about their progress, Jim began to look down. Aisha felt him hold onto her even tighter when he realized exactly how high they had climbed and that he was afraid of heights._

  


_ "We're almost there." she reassured him as she climbed up two more limbs._

  


_ She announced that they had arrived and Jim began to cautiously step off of her back and onto the tree limb. Despite his fear of heights, Jim was glad Aisha took him up here. The two of them took a seat on the thickest part of the limb as they began to take in the panorama. There was enough of a gap between the leaves and blossoms that they both were treated to a spectacular view, and so long as he didn't look straight down, he was fine. Off in the distance to their west was a grand-looking building that appeared to made from some sort of crimson marble. Further off and to the east was a beautiful forested river valley with a shallow blue-green river lazily drifting through the lush trees. _

  


_ "I used to come up here when I wanted a place to just sit and think. It was my little place in the sun...I remember I'd used to spend hours just swimming around in the river right before the Harvest season..." she said nostalgically as she gazed at river._

  


_ Jim was looking at the impressive structure. "Is that your home?" He asked._

  


_ Aisha nodded, although much of her enthusiasm was now gone. A few moments of absolute silence passed between them._

_ "Jim- when you look back on all the things you were able to do, do you have any regrets?" Aisha asked. _

  


_ "No, not really." he said after only a slight pause. It seemed like an odd question, but he continued. "I mean, I'm just a kid. You said so yourself. But I got to see all kinds of things I never thought I'd see. Aniki took good care of me, and I got to know you and Mel....I don't regret a thing."_

  


_ "You're no ordinary kid- you can take care of yourself....." Aisha remarked as she absently held his hand._

  


_ "I know that....What about you? Do you have any regrets?"_

  


_ "Sometimes..." she said earnestly as she continued looking at the manor off in the distance. She then turned to face him, the distant and melancholy look in her eyes now gone. "But it's nice to know I'm in good company" Aisha gently squeezed the boy's hand._

  


_ "Don't look so sad, Aisha. It isn't over. In fact, it's hardly begun...."_

_"Wh-what do you mean?"_

  


_"You know what I'm talking about. I'm not as fragile as I look!" he said as he pounded his knuckles against this chest with mock bravado. He was aware that he sounded a little too much like Gene just now and chuckled nervously. "But it's kinda nice having someone like you to worry about me, Aisha....."_

  


_ "Aisha?"_

  


"Aisha?" Jim was gone, and she was no longer in the grove. Everything had dissolved to black and she heard somebody else calling out her name.

  


"Aisha. Wake up!" 

  


Gene, Mel and Suzuka were in Aisha's quarters, standing over the semiconscious Ctarl Ctarl. For modesty's sake, Suzuka was able to find a grimy and oversized pair of coveralls and had managed to put them on Aisha. However, the cat-girl was tossing and turning while murmuring incoherently. Each of them though she was having a bad dream. Perhaps she was replaying her battle with the pirate or possibly even the moments when Jim was slipping away in her arms. The three of them were quietly beginning to worry, since they didn't know how long it normally took her to regain consciousness after changing back from her beast form. Suzuka was thinking a sedative might be in order, but injecting Aisha could prove problematic. The assassin was the first to see that the Ctarl Ctarl was regaining consciousness.

  


Her eyes slowly opened. "Where am........?" she began to groggily ask. Now that she was awake and beginning to talk, Suzuka, Gene and Melfina were standing over her. She recognized that the four of them were in her quarters.

  


"Aisha? How do you feel?" Melfina asked.

  


"Jim! Where's Jim?" Aisha asked suddenly. "Is he OK?"  


"Gillium is in the sick bay doing a diagnostic as we speak- we should know soon." Suzuka explained.

  


For the cat-girl, that was far from reassuring. Aisha's ears twitched and she clenched her teeth as she gingerly sat up on the cot and started to put two rather wobbly legs on the floor. "I _demand_ to see him!" she seethed.

  


"Try to remain calm, Aisha. You were in your beast form and should rest." Suzuka said.

  


"Yeah, you don't need to worry about Jim- he's tougher than he looks....." Gene tried reassuring the cat-girl. However, it turned out to be the wrong thing to say.

  


"That's easy for _you_ to say!" Aisha snapped.

  


"Huh? What are you talking about.....?"

  


"How long have you been exploiting him Gene? It's been going on since before we ever met." Aisha screeched angrily. "He's just a kid, but that doesn't bother you. You won't stop until he's dead,_ WILL YOU_!?" 

  


"It's not like that, Aisha...." Gene said defensively.

"Really? Then how come you didn't take Mel with us tonight!? It was because you didn't want _her_ to get hurt!". She saw the hurt look on Mel's face and was aware that it was too late to take her statement back. Sparing her ship-mates feeling wasn't Aisha's top priority at the moment.

  


Suzuka quietly spoke up on Gene's behalf. "Aisha- losing your temper with Gene accomplishes nothing. Despite his relatively young age, Jim has been aware of the consequences behind his decisions for quite some time. He knew that there was an inherent risk in this particular pursuit.....just as we all did."

  


She knew that Suzuka was right, but she didn't want to hear it. 

  


"Please....leave. All of you." the Ctarl Ctarl said abruptly. "I want to be alone right now."   


Gene and Suzuka quietly took their leave. Instead of joining them right away, Melfina stood next to Aisha's cot and put a hand on her shoulder. Mel wasn't so sure the C'tarl C'tarl should be left alone in her present state. There was an awkward silence before she spoke up.

"I know that you really care for Jim, Aisha, but he can't be a child only when it's convenient for you." Melfina said.   


She was a mess but Aisha knew she had to compose herself. "I don't know what Terrans Jim's age normally do, but I'm sure it doesn't involve getting their skulls split open night after night. How can Gene look at himself in the mirror, using Jimmy like that?" she seethed. The memory of Jim holding his hand to her face and telling her everything was had gone dark was still vivid in Aisha's mind- it was one of her last before waking up. She was on the brink of tears again, and didn't want anyone to see her like this. Yet Melfina wouldn't leave.

"Aisha- I never asked for any special treatment." Mel said. Part of her was steeling herself for the cat-girl's wrath for what she was about to say. "Gene would never admit it, but he thinks I'd only get in the way. That's why he didn't want me to come.....But Jim and Gene have been partners since before I met them. The last thing he'd want was for anything to happen to Jim."

Aisha only looked down quietly at the floor. It was irrational, but she felt she still needed to be angry at someone. Since the pirate who attacked Jim could now only be removed from the junkyard in several plastic bags, Gene seemed like the next logical choice. But she was mad at herself, too. She should've done something to protect Jim.

"The important thing is that Jim's still with us." Melfina reassured her. 

"But I let him down." 

"I don't think he'll see it that way. And please stop referring to him in the past tense." 

Mel's last statement didn't quite sink in yet. Already, she missed the kid. Aisha wasn't sure why Jim's opinion meant that much to her. It just did. He was a smart kid and she trusted his judgement. Although it sounded vain, she also liked it when he paid attention to her. It made the cat-girl feel appreciated, which had been something of a rarity since her expulsion.

"Forgive the interruption, ladies." Gillium said. "I thought you might be interested in knowing that Jim has...."

Aisha's ears twitched. "Yes?" she asked expectantly. Melfina also seemed very interested in what Gillium had to say.

"......Jim has just regained consciousness."

  
  


_A.N. Uh....*nervous chuckle* hope the first part of the chapter wasn't too maudlin or sappy. For those of you who are wondering about my use of the word "immortal" in the summary, that wasn't meant to imply that Aisha and her kind never age or die. That was just a moniker given to the C'tarl C'tarl in the show itself. However, I think that they'd be much harder to kill and age slower than humans or other species- which could make them "immortal" by comparison._


	4. Bodies at Rest

"_WHAT!_?" Aisha asked Gillium.

  


"His vital signs appear to be stable...."

  


Melfina's eyes seemed to shimmer upon hearing this. They were brimming over with tears of joy. "Oh, Gillium, that's _wonderful_ news".

  


"He's.....going to be OK?" Aisha eagerly asked the little pink can.

  


"It appears that way, although it would be wise to keep him under observation for a few days. It seems as though he suffered a moderate concussion, along with some bruising and lacerations. There are some internal injuries that will require further treatment, but no signs of anything life-threatening."

  


"But he stopped breathing. I _know_ he did....." the cat-girl started to say, not quite able to believe the news the ship's computer was delivering to them.

  


"That was most likely an effect of the head trauma he suffered. Temporary blindness and cessation of respiratory activity can occur from a concussion like that. There was also a 98.361% chance of cardiovascular failure. It most certainly would've been fatal had he not been brought here and revived so quickly ." Gillium explained. 

  


There was an expectant silence that lingered in the room for a moment until Melfina spoke up once again.

  


"Aisha- that means you saved Jim!"

  


"What do you mean?" she asked. Her feline ears were cocked and there was a quizzical look on her face.

  


"Gene told me how you changed into your beast form to fight that pirate. If you didn't..." Mel paused for a moment, realizing she probably should choose her next words carefully. "....there's no telling what could have happened."

"Gene told you this?"

Mel nodded.

"How long have I been out?" Aisha asked suddenly.

"Approximately 22 minutes. That is how long you've been on this ship." Gillium said. "Although I'm somewhat unfamiliar with Ctarl Ctarl physiology, you appear to have sustained only a few bruises and some minor burns in addition to fatigue."

  


"I'm going to go see him." the Ctarl Ctarl said. Aisha figured that if Gillium objected, she would raise a fuss and then feign being talked out of seeing Jim by Mel or the ship's computer before sneaking off and quietly checking on him anyway.

  


However, Gil knew better than to deny a determined Ctarl Ctarl. "Very well. However, keep in mind that both of you should get some rest....." he cautioned.

Mel couldn't help but smile as Aisha left. She had heard some of the choice adjectives Gene would sometimes call Aisha- although very rarely to her face. 'Selfish' wasn't one of them- especially when Jim was involved. From all outward appearances, Aisha had just been through a considerable ordeal herself, yet all she seemed to care about was Jim. Mel wasn't keeping time, but it took Aisha several minutes before she even thought to inquire about her own well-being. The vain cat-girl also missed an opportunity to bask in some praise when Mel explained that Jim wouldn't be alive if she hadn't dispatched the big pirate so quickly. The more time Jim and Aisha spent together, the more they really did seem like family, the bio-android mused.

**

It was a weird dream to say the least, but almost as soon as he woke up, Jim could only remember bits and pieces of it. He was standing in what looked like some sort of orchard on a distant and alien world. It was actually quite beautiful. Aisha was there with him, although it wasn't one of _*those*_ dreams. Gene might've been disappointed by that, but Jim really wasn't. She enthusiastically greeted him after she jumped out of one of the trees, all of which were practically exploding with some sort of sweetly fragrant, pastel green blossoms. 

But he also recalled that she seemed very sad about something. He wasn't sure if he should press the matter. Very slowly, fragments of the dream and what had happened in the scrapyard were beginning to intertwine. His head was throbbing and his chest ached. Unbeknownst to Jim; Gene, Mel and Suzuka had been in and out, checking on his condition while he was unconscious. But he was by himself when he came to....or so he thought. As he was trying to piece together the events, he heard a noise. 

  


The Ctarl Ctarl knocked on the door to Jim's quarters only after she opened it up and walked through. There he was- wide awake and somewhat cleaner than her. Ordinarily he would've resented the intrusion, but after what both of them had been through, his eyes practically lit up and he smiled at the sight of her. 

  


"Aisha?" He looked a little bit dismayed when she didn't immediately return his smile.

Betraying none of the relief that came over her when she saw with her own eyes that he was still alive and well, she approached his bed and looked down at him. It was almost too good to be true as far as Aisha was concerned. She wanted to do nothing more than wrap the boy up in a tight bear hug and tousle his hair like she had done so many times before, but realized that wasn't the greatest idea if Jim was recovering from head trauma and cracked ribs. Instead, Aisha thought the best she could do was to try and tell him something she had been putting off and assumed she'd never get to say to him earlier.

"Looks like I'm getting some rest wether I like it or not." Jim said, looking up at Aisha. 

"I don't know what you were thinking, Jim- doing a foolish thing like that." she scolded.

  


"You mean the big pirate? I thought I could've held him off until....." he started to say.

Aisha was having none of it "You're a thinker, not a warrior" she interrupted, gently tapping her index finger on his temple. "That's your strength". It was meant to be a compliment, but it was hard to tell with her sometimes. "If you're up to it, maybe I could teach you some Ctarl Ctarl fighting techniques later on. Gene's taught you to rely too much on those Terran playthings that pass themselves off as weapons." In all honesty, Aisha was quietly thrilled that there would be a "later on". 

"That's easy for you to say." Jim scoffed. "You're the strongest woman in the universe. Are you going to teach me how to turn into a big tiger?". 

"It's not just about physical strength. Any good warrior needs to be able to come up with a strategy. Doesn't that sound like somebody I know?" 

Aisha noticed that the boy was now looking down and no longer paying any attention to her. She figured the boy had just been through an ordeal and she should leave well enough alone when Jim turned to her.

  


"I was so scared Aisha. All I wanted to do was just run and hide." Jim said. "The last thing I remembered was you......." he trailed off.

  


_**Holding me? Talking to me? Crying?**_ The Ctarl Ctarl was left to wonder what he was going to say as Jim continued staring down at the bed. She had seen him in times of great uncertainty, a little apprehensive and even scared. But despite his small stature, he always was able to maintain his composure. This was the first time that Jim had ever sounded vulnerable to her. 

  


"That's only natural." she reassured him. "Sometimes the trick is in not letting your opponents know how scared you really are. I know it isn't easy but it's not impossible...." 

  


"You mean......you don't think I'm a coward?" 

  


"Not at all, Jim. I never questioned your bravery, just your judgement sometimes." 

  


"Never thought I'd hear that coming from you." he mused. "You don't think Gene's too upset with me? I was the one who told him to use the dud shell."

"Don't sweat it...I'm sure he's been through worse." 

  


"But Aisha....." he was cut off again, her finger was now vertically pressed against his lips. She was one step shy of clamping her hand over his mouth- like it or not, he was going to listen to what she had to say. 

  


"Stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your control. It's done and there's nothing you can do about it now. What's important is that you're OK. That's all that matters..." she said. She had removed her hand from his lips as she leaned in and they were now almost nose-to-nose. She cast a furtive glance around the room to be certain that there were no spectators other than Jim to what she was about to say and do. 

  


"Always remember Jim; you're my favorite Terran. Always will be, no matter what." Aisha understated somewhat as she gently kissed him on the forehead. Her hand had involuntarily found it's way to the top of Jim's head, but she gently brushed a lock of blond hair from his forehead instead of tousling his hair like she normally did. Her expression changed and Jim detected more than a trace of sorrow. "....and how do you think I'd feel if I lost my favorite Terran forever?".

  


For a moment Jim heard her voice waver, as if the mere thought of his untimely passing was enough to bring the Strongest Woman in the Universe to tears. She gently wrapped her arms around him and held him like that for a moment. Jim returned her embrace as best he could in his condition as Aisha spoke up. "You had me so scared. Promise me: No more dumb stunts like that, OK?". 

  


Dumbfounded and speechless, Jim nodded. Aisha almost always seemed so carefree and happy-go-lucky around him and the others, but this was a part of her he had never counted on seeing. She was such a proud creature, yet Jim was left with the feeling she had to swallow some of her pride in order to have this conversation. There also was something in her eyes, but after a moment she seemed to have regained her some of her composure and continued speaking.

  


"I'm glad you're feeling better." Aisha purred playfully. "But....."

  


"Hmm?" 

  


"How come you get the good bed and all I get is the flimsy little cot in the sick bay? I think a delicate flower such as myself is entitled to some pampering." she asked in a haughty tone. 

  


"Seniority." the quick-witted boy replied with a wry grin.

  


"NANI? You mean to tell me that a pre-teen barely out of diapers such as yourself outranks the beautiful and accomplished Aisha Clan Clan of the Imperial Ctarl Ctarl Deep Space fleet?" Aisha challenged, her arms folded across her chest.

  


Jim couldn't help but smile. He knew that he was now talking to the immature and temperamental Aisha Clan Clan that he found endearing- for whatever reason.

  


"On this ship, yes. I've been a registered crew member longer than you." he explained.

  


"I hope you don't think that means you can boss me around..." Aisha groused.

  


"Wouldn't dream of it...."

  


"Good. Certain other people with red hair seem to think otherwise."

  


"Don't worry about it. Every now and then I 'll let Gene pretend he's in charge and running things."

  


Jim didn't see it, but a light smile was on Aisha's face._ **What a little smart-ass! He hasn't lost a step**_ she thought. With a great deal of reluctance, Aisha gingerly stood up and headed towards the door, looking back one last time. _Dammit kiddo,_ she said to herself, _you're alot tougher than I thought, but you really had me going_. After what had happened, she didn't want to let the boy out of her sight. Still, Gillium was right- he needed plenty of rest in order to recover completely. They both could. Before she could step into the hall, a voice spoke up. 

"Aisha?" 

"Hmm?" She turned around. Jim was sitting upright in his bed now. 

"Could you.....uh.....stay a little longer? I really don't want to be by myself." he asked a little sheepishly. There was something in his voice that seemed to say he wasn't just talking about tonight. On some level they both knew that. 

Aisha paused. She was terribly hungry- changing into her beast form so far away from the nearest full moon had depleted much her of her energy. The burns from the ball-lightning on her arm hurt more than she was willing to acknowledge, not to mention the big pirate had gotten in some good blows on her before she finished him off. She was hoping to put some ice on her bruises and burns before soaking in a nice, warm bath. Her beautiful platinum hair and dark skin was singed and streaked with oil, grease, and soot from the scrapyard. Aside from the grimy, oversized jumpsuit that Suzuka found for her somewhere, she didn't have anything else on. The galley, a nice long bath, one of her clean uniforms and some first-aid were crying out quite loudly to her. Aisha was just as reluctant to leave Jim alone as Jim was to be alone. Yet, she turned around and looked into Jim's eyes, realizing that those things could wait. Her reply was music to his ears.

"Of course, Jim. I'll be here as long as you need me." 

1

~;*THE END*;~ 

  
  


1

Unless I wind up writing some sort of Epilogue.


End file.
